The paper applies the 'characteristics' approach developed with respect to the labour market in order to examine why the percentage of households who rent privately varies across the country. Regression analysis is used to show that the distribution of private renting is closely related to the distribution of particular household characteristics and that the relationship varies systematically between sub-sectors. Certain local market factors are also shown to be important, particularly with respect to the furnished sector. Within a given urban area the relative size of the rented sector appears to be even more strongly related to household characteristics. Certain implications for spatial policy are then discussed.
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